


Lily and the Beast

by CheezLord12



Series: Harry Potter Fairy Tales [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Beauty and the Beast, F/M, Hemlock - Freeform, not snily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28629549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheezLord12/pseuds/CheezLord12
Summary: Lily Evans is enjoying her life as a merchants daughter, when all of a sudden, her life is flipped upside down. Will Lily be able to thaw the beasts heart–or does something more sinister lie within him?
Series: Harry Potter Fairy Tales [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097393
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

"My daughters." Lily looked up and smiled as her father entered their small home, hanging his cloak on the wall. "I have news."

Lily nodded, gesturing for him to sit at the table. As he spoke, she leaned forward, hands clasped in her lap. Petunia sat beside her, watching with her arms crossed over her stomach.

"I have secured a horse!" he announced. "I shall leave for a voyage tomorrow, and begin selling my wares. When I return, we will be rich!" Petunia sat up at this, her arms uncrossing.

"Truly?" she asked. "Oh, father, this is wonderful news!"

Father nodded enthusiastically, smiling fondly at them. "Ask me for anything! Jewelry, dresses, perfumes, I will bring you anything you want, my dears."

Petunia licked her lips, running a finger over the frayed cuff of her dress. "Dresses, father. Silk ones, with fine embroidery." she asked.

Father laughed, nodding. "As you wish. And you, Lily?"

Lily thought hard. Jewelry, dresses, perfume. They were all nice things, but did she need them? Did she want them? "I do not need anything." she said finally.

"Oh, Lily, don't be modest." Father said. "Anything you want, I will bring you."

Lily pursed her lips, her shoulders dropping. "Very well, father. Then all I want is a flower. A Lily."

His lips twitched for a moment before he guffawed loudly, leaning back in his chair. "Lily, you never cease to surprise me. Fine, if that is what you wish, I will find the finest Lily in the entire Kingdom of Black for you!"

A week later, he returned. Lily beamed, her eyes on his horse as he approached. Petunia's gaze skipped right over him, searching behind him for his promised riches. All that was behind him was another figure on a horse, their face hidden in a deep hood.

"My daughters," he slid off his horse, glancing at the hooded figure behind him. "I have news."

~

_ Take her. _ The words rang through her head.  _ Take her, just spare me. _

Lily hardly noticed that they had left the woods and were now trotting up the path to a large castle. The words bounced in her head, over and over. Her father had explained that he'd taken a lily from the hooded man's garden, and been caught and seized. In exchange for his freedom, he'd traded... he'd traded her.

Her father had traded her.

Blinking back tears—now was not the time—she looked up at the castle, taking it in. "Is this it?" she asked the hooded man, who was on the horse in front of her.

"Yes." he said, not turning. She still hadn't seen his face, and had started to imagine him as a dark cloud in the shape of a man, hovering under the cloak.

They rode until they were at the front of the castle. The man slid from his horse, and Lily followed suit clumsily, unaccustomed to the action. 

The entrance was grand and beautifully polished, but eerily silent. A chill ran down Lily's spine when she realized that she and the figure were the only ones in the massive castle.

"This will be your room." the man spoke, making Lily flinch. "Dinner will be in twenty minutes. I will collect you at that time." He turned stiffly, starting to walk back down the hall. 

Lily swallowed, reminding herself to be brave. "Wait! What are you going to do with me?"

He turned, and Lily could feel malice coming off him in waves. "Your father mentioned that you are an excellent gardener. You will tend to my gardens."

Lily stepped back in surprise. "What?"

He snarled and turned away once more, but Lily called him back again. "Wait, please! If I am to be your gardener, let me see your face."

He stilled, and turned back very slowly. Lily tensed. He raised his hands and lowered his hood, revealing...

Nothing. 

Well, not nothing. But nothing special. He was just a man, pale and skinny. His nose was on the large side, but otherwise, there was nothing remarkable about him. "Pleased?" he asked her.

Lily nodded, sensing she'd pushed him as far as he would go, and he turned once more and stalked off, leaving Lily to explore her new room.

It was the room of a servant, cramped and economic with nothing but a bed and a small dresser. Lily threw herself onto the bed and started to sob.

When the man came back, Lily had cleaned herself up, and they walked in silence to a large dining room, where he sat her at a table.

"Tomorrow, you will start your duties." He informed her. "My gardens are extensive, and I expect you to keep them well-tended. Especially..." he licked his lips. "The west fields. Those are very important."

"What are you growing there?" she asked.

"You will see." he said sharply, ending the conversation.

They ate in silence for the rest of the meal. As soon as he'd finished, the man stood and started to leave. "Wait!" Lily called again desperately. "At least tell me your name, so I know what to call you."

She squeezed her hands tightly under the table, trying not to let on how terrified she was. He turned, his upper lip starting to curl up. "My name is Severus Snape. You may call me Severus."

"Severus." she repeated. He nodded, eyes glinting, and swept from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Lily gaped at the considerable fields in front of her. She'd guessed that they would be large, considering the size of the castle, but  _ this? _

She had no idea if she'd be able to tend to all of it, considering her only experience was a single small flower bed by her house. "What are you waiting for, girl?" Severus asked her. "Get to it. None of these plants better die under your watch."

Girl? He didn't look much older than her, though it was hard to tell with the permanent scowl and greasy hair covering his face. Still, she nodded and used a strip of cloth to tie up her hair before crouching on the field and starting to dig out weeds.

Slowly, she worked her way across the fields of flowers, every type she'd ever imagined, from lilies to roses to tulips. Most were dying, and Lily took great care in watering them and making sure to carefully pull out the weeds that were choking them.

It was noon when she reached the all-important west fields. She blinked at them, furrowing her brow. Just like Severus' face, she'd expected them to be more remarkable than they actually were. She'd expected huge rose bushes with thorny stems, or tangled vines or tall, towering trees. Instead, all that was there were more flowers. There were three types; a purple one, a small white one, and a yellow-green one. She crouched over one of them and inhaled it carefully, trying to place it, but she did not recognize it.

Suddenly, an arm grabbed her and yanked her back, away from the flower. She found herself being gripped tightly by Severus as he searched her face with wide eyes. "Foolish peasant!" he exploded. "What are you doing?"

"Tending...to the—"

"I  _ told _ you to wear gloves and a mask!" he barked at her, his grip tightening.

Lily whimpered and she saw regret flash in his eyes as he released her. "I... it was getting hot, so I took them off." she stuttered. "I don't have allergies, so I..."

She realized instantly that she'd made a mistake as she trailed off. "You will wear your gloves and mask at all times, or you will be deprived of dinner." he threatened, stepping back. "Now get back to work."

Lily nodded, pulling the gloves from the pocket of her dress and putting them on once again. She felt him hovering over her as she crouched over the unfamiliar flower and started to work, slowly moving down rows and rows of the same flower.

As the sun started to move back down to the horizon, Lily finished up the west field, stepping back to admire her work. It hadn't been as hard as she'd anticipated and she'd even managed to finish before sunset.

Severus wasn't present at dinner, though a steaming plate sat at her place on the table. She wondered, not for the first time if he did all of the cooking and cleaning.

_ So this is my new existence. _ she thought, lying in her bed that night.  _ Garden, eat, sleep, repeat. _

~

A week passed in a similar fashion, until, finally, it was Sunday. Lily had hoped that she would get the Lord's day off, but Severus said nothing to her at breakfast, as usual, so she sighed and pulled on her gloves. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Working?" she asked.

He waved a hand dismissively. "You don't need to work on Sunday. Take a break."

Lily paused for a moment, wondering if this was some sort of test. "I... don't?" she asked.

He scowled. "I just said that you don't need to."

"Then... what should I do?" she asked, realizing she had no idea what  _ he _ did all day in this empty castle. 

He sighed, pinching his nose between his fingers. "I don't know. Just... wander about. The library is down that hall." He straightened, as if becoming aware of something. "However," he added quickly. "You may not leave the first floor. The second floor is forbidden."

Lily hadn't intended to go to the second floor, but as soon as he said it, her interest flared. Still, she didn't want to anger him, so after eating she padded over to the library, craning her neck and giving a little gasp at the sheer  _ size _ of it.

She'd never seen anything like it, not once. There were more books than she'd ever imagined could possibly exist, piled up on top each other. As she read the spines, she saw that they were on all topics, from politics to pack animals, weaving to wagons.

Slightly overwhelmed, she pulled an encyclopedia of plants from a shelf, settling into a cushy armchair and opening it up. She flicked through it, trying to find the flowers from the west field, though she was distracted often by facts about flowers and herbs, all of which she was sure she would forget the second she walked from the library.

Finally, when nearly the entire day had passed, she located the white flower. The sketch was so small she nearly missed it, taking up only a small corner of the page. The main focus was on the words.

_ Poison Hemlock. _

Lily gasped, her eyes flicking through the passage.

_ Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), is a very deadly and potent poison. Ingesting it can cause seizure and death, and contact with the plant can cause rashes on the skin and possible poisoning. _

There was more about how the plant bloomed and how large it got, but Lily stopped reading after  _ possible poisoning.  _ She looked down at her hands, aghast, scrubbing at them furiously. She'd touched it, she'd smelt it and all week she'd been working with it, how could he not–

"Lily."

She flinched hard and turned to the entrance of the library, her heartbeat slowing when she saw that it was only Severus, his face pinched at her. 

"Dinner will be in twenty minutes." without even waiting for an answer, he turned back around and stalked from the library.

The second he left, Lily flipped to the back of the book, searching for it... aha! Poisons. In another few minutes, she'd found the other two flowers, Belladonna and Nightshade, also poisons.

Lily glanced out the window, at the almost endless amounts of poisonous flowers growing just beside the castle. What was Severus doing, growing so much poison? And what did it mean about what was on the second floor?

She was extra cautious from that day on, wearing long sleeved dresses and keeping her face as far from the poisonous plants as she could. In her spare time, she was drawn to the library. There were very few resources on poisons, but she read them all at least twice, trying to puzzle out what a man who almost never left his castle would need with such deadly flowers.

Her question was answered much sooner than she'd expected, when he thrust a small cloth pouch at her at breakfast one day. "Plant these in the west field." he ordered. 

"What, more poison?" she asked, the words slipping from her mouth before she could stop them.

His hand tightened on the pouch and he drew it back a little. "What?"

She'd already started digging her grave, so she might as well keep going. "That's what you're growing, isn't it?" She challenged. "Hemlock, Nightshade, and Belladonna. Why?"

He scowled. "It's not your place to question me."

She clenched her jaw. "I can't believe I've been putting myself in danger, spending all day breathing in poison, just so you can tell me it's not my place to question you." she snapped, all of her frustration and anger and hopelessness pouring out of her.

He looked alarmed and slightly... impressed at her outburst, but collected himself quickly. "If you  _ must _ know, I use them to make medicine, which I sell." he drawled.

It was Lily's turn to look slightly impressed as she leaned back in her chair and took the seeds from him, her hand brushing against his. "Oh... I see." she said lamely, finishing her breakfast as quickly as she could before scurrying from the room, her trying to hide the red in her face.

~

"Lily?"

Lily looked up, her fork halfway to her mouth. "Yes?"

"What...? Do you... that, is... I mean to say..."

"Spit it out." she deadpanned. He looked up at her, his eyes flashing, but his expression softened quickly.

"What did you use to do before you—" a searching pause. "—came here?"

Lily bit her lip, fading into her memories a little. She'd done her best not to think about Before, because thinking about her father, who'd given her up without a second thought made her want to cry and scream.

"Well," she said cautiously. "I used to do chores, mostly sewing. Petunia was better at the cooking and cleaning—especially the cooking. If I had spare time, I—ah, well I started a small garden with some flowers from the woods."

There was a silence as she finished speaking, and Lily risked glancing up. Severus was looking at her peculiarly, his eyes fixed on her face. He looked away quickly, his lips turning down into a frown. "I see."

Lily felt a small tick in her heart as she took in his face, vulnerable and open for the first time. "What of you?" she asked hesitantly. 

He knit his eyebrows together. "What of me?" he asked.

"Well... what do you do all day?" she asked, her words soft and scared. She saw him ride away sometimes, but he returned quickly and spent almost all of his time in the castle.

"I told you. I make medicine." He stood suddenly, despite the fact that he'd only finished half of his dinner. "Good night." he said stiffly, turning and striding out of the room without another word.


	3. Chapter 3

Lily wrinkled her nose, staring up at the shelf. The library was lovely, of course, but it's extensiveness did have one downside. The shelves were tall, and Lily was not. Huffing angrily, she propped her foot on the shelf and grabbed at another with her hand, pulling herself up. The second she was off the ground, she realized what a bad idea it was, but it was too late.

With a yelp, she toppled to the ground, a book slipping from the shelf and landing next to her with a loud  _ slam.  _ She wasn't too high up off the ground, so she was able to stand easily, testing her ankles for any injury. There were none, but—

She hissed as she took in the long scrape running up her arm, starting at her bicep and reaching to her wrist, already dripping blood. It stung as she carefully peeled her torn sleeve to back, glancing at the sharp corner of the shelve that had made the cut.

"Who goes there?" a loud yell pulled her attention to the entrance of the library, where Severus was standing, his cloak  _ whooshing.  _ She could see his face scrunch up in a scowl even from far away as he saw her. "Oh, it's just you. What on—" he cut off, his eyes taking in her bloody arm. "What is that?" he asked, rushing forward and taking her arm in his hands. She blinked back tears as stings of pain ran up her arm.

"I was trying..." she murmured, trying to ignore the muffled buzzing in her ears. "I slipped."

He murmured something under his breath that Lily didn't understand, gently pulling at her arm and dragging her through the castle to a room she didn't recognize. He pulled open some drawers until he found the one he was looking for.

"Flint..." he muttered. "Pins...Buttons...ah! Bandages."

He used a tub of water in the corner of the room to wash out her cut, though it was bleeding hand and fast enough that it didn't make much of a difference.

Finally, the bleeding started to slow, enough for him to start wrapping her arm. She registered faintly that his fingers were ice-cold on her skin. She wondered what they would feel like entwined in her warm fingers.

"What were you doing?" he asked, his voice soft as he wrapped the bandage. Up, down.

Lily took in a deep breath, closing her eyes against the black spots on her vision. "I was trying to reach a book on the top shelf. I climbed on the bookcase, but I slipped." she explained.

"Why didn't you just  _ ask _ me to get it for you?" he asked, though she could tell he was more worried than frustrated.

"I...didn't want to bother you." she said softly.

"Next time, feel free to bother me." Was that a blush spreading under his skin?

"Okay," she said softly. "I will."

~

"I'm having a guest over tomorrow." Severus announced suddenly over breakfast the next day. "So you can take the day off. Just stay out of the sitting room and don't let him see you."

"Oh. What sort of guest?" She asked interestedly.

He paused a moment before responding. "A client. To buy my medicines." he explained uncomfortably.

"I see." she said. "I'll stay in the library."

He nodded.

~

Lily glanced at the book, then at her scraped arm, then at the book once more. She knew she wasn't supposed to bother Severus today, because of his guest, but he'd also told her to ask him if she needed help getting a book.

Besides, his client hadn't even arrived yet.

Lily blew out a breath and turned out of the library, telling herself that she would just quickly ask him for the book and then lock herself up in the library and not come out until the client was gone.

It would be quick, simple. 

It couldn't be that she was... nervous about talking to Severus, right? He'd proven to be surprisingly caring to her and even... kind?

No, no, no. She was not feeling warmly to Severus, her captor and jailor.

But maybe she was.

Just as the thought arrived in her mind, there was a loud pounding at the door. She inhaled sharply and ducked behind the wall as Severus swept by and hauled the door open, revealing a tall man not much older than Severus with blonde hair glinting in the sun.

Severus stepped aside as he walked in, closing the door behind him. "Lord Malfoy." he greeted. "I trust your travel was well?"

"Fine, fine, Mr. Snape." Malfoy said testily, looking around. "Do you have the poison?"

Lily, who'd been trying to sneak back into the library unseen, froze. She turned back around and stealthily followed them as they entered the sitting room, pressing her ear to the door.

"I've been working on making them more potent." Severus said. "And I've found a way to make it deadly through the skin."

"What makes this different than the last one you gave me?" Malfoy sounded bored.

"Before, if you touched it, there was only mild inflammation, but now, the poison causes immediate death." Severus' voice was calm. Lily shivered, realized there wasn't a single drop of regret in his words.

"Really? How have you tested this new poison?" Malfoy sounded interested. Lily imagined him leaning forward, long hair falling in a curtain around his face.

"I've been testing them out on peasants. The last five died within three minutes of the poison being applied."

_ The last five. _

Lily resisted the urge to vomit and pressed herself harder against the door. "If I were to... mix it in someone's soap, or put some on their saddle, would it still be effective?" Malfoy asked.

"I... believe so." Severus responded. "I can run some more experiments if you—"

"No need for that, Mr. Snape." Malfoy interrupted. "I will take it."

There were faint sounds of clinking, and then a moment of silence. Lily tensed, ready to duck away from the door, but Severus spoke again. "This is seven. We agreed on ten."

"That is because last time you gave me five bottles. There are only three here." Malfoy said coldly.

"These are worth far more than seven,  _ Lord _ Malfoy. There are only three bottles because it is so much more potent. I will only accept ten."

A sigh. "Very well." 

More clinking, and then a stiff. "Thank you." from Severus.

Lily saw the doorknob start to turn and scampered away, her mind racing wildly.

When Severus came to see her two minutes later, she was in the library, peacefully reading a book. She smiled and looked up at him. He smiled back. "How did your meeting go?" she asked.

"It went well." He said simply. "I sold many medicines. Are you prepared for lunch?"

Lily nodded, getting up slowly as if she'd been curled up for hours. "Of course. Let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, when she returned from the fields, there was a dress hanging in her closet, accompanied with a note.

_ Wear this to dinner tonight. _

She ran her hands over the rich green dress, taking in the skill of the embroidery. Even Petunia would not be able to find fault in the exquisite dress. She couldn't even imagine how much it would have cost.

Still, it felt like sandpaper on her skin as she slid into it, knowing how Severus had gotten the money to buy it. She nearly tripped over the hem, but caught herself, leaning on the wall.

"Lily," Lily looked up to find Severus waiting for her in the hall, his eyes wide as he took her in. "You look...lovely."

Finding she could not return the compliment, she bowed her head instead. "Thank you."

They walked in silence to the dining room, Severus flicking his eyes to her every once in a while. Dinner was nicer than usual, and there were fewer candles lit, sending a subtle darkness over the room.

When they finished, Lily made to stand up, slightly uncomfortable in the heavy layers of her dress. However, before she could get too far, Severus stood hastily and put his hand on her arm. She startled, a little surprised at how cold his hand was.

"Sorry," he said quickly, drawing his hand back. "Don't go. I wanted to..." he cut off with an awkward sigh, looking at the floor. "Would you like to dance?"

"Dance?" she asked "We have no music."

He looked at her, earnestness shining in his eyes. "We don't need to." he whispered, a lock of his greasy hair falling to cover his eye.

_ If I were to mix it on someone's soap or put some on their saddle, would it still be effective?  _ Malfoy had asked. Lily imagined pulling on her gloves only to find poison coating them, burning off her skin. "Of course." she said.

He smiled, his eyes lighting up as he pulled her to the side, slowly rocking her back and forth in the large dining room.

Soon, he started to hum a small tune, and she fell into the rhythm of the dance. Still, every time he squeezed her hand in his, every time he smiled tenderly down at her before twirling her around, she felt a surge of revulsion and had to suppress the urge to push away from him and claw off her dress.

He'd killed people. At least five of them. He'd put them through a painful death for ten gold coins.

Finally, after what felt like years and years of being wrapped up in him, he slowed to a stop and stepped back from him. He looked like a porcelain doll, with little red circles painted on his cheeks. He bowed a little and pressed his slimy lips to her hand before dropping it.

Oh, how she wished she had gloves.

"Good night, Lily." he whispered.

"Good night, Severus." she whispered back, curtsying slightly before turning away and walking back to her room, squeezing her fists so hard they trembled.

~

From that day on, Severus started showering Lily with gifts, little trinkets that she would find on her pillow, sitting by her plate at breakfast, given to her as she tied up her hair in the mornings.

She knew that they were bought with blood money and she wanted nothing more than to crush every necklace under her heel, dump every perfume down the sink, and snap every flower in half, but she feared his wrath so she kept them all, in a growing pile in the corner of her small room

The worst part of it all was that she knew that had she not overheard that conversation, that one conversation, she would have reveled in it. Severus was nothing but sweet to her, and it was clear he had feelings for her.

Had she not overheard the conversation, she might have had feelings for him as well.

The thought turned her stomach.

This all came to a head at dinner one Sunday.

"Lily, I have something I want to tell you."

She smiled up at him. "What is it?"

"I..." he paused. "When I first brought you here, I simply wanted someone to tend to my gardens. I thought any peasant would do. But... as I got to know you, I started feeling something else. You're not like the other worthless peasants, Lily. You're something special… something beautiful."

_ And you're something beastly. _ She thought.

He took a deep breath, seeming to steel himself. Lily felt a coil of dread start to squeeze in her stomach.

"I love you, Lily and I wish for you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"

Lily gagged.

She quickly caught herself, turning it into a cough, but Severus had seen. "Is there something wrong, my love?"

The words  _ my love _ made her want to gag again, but she just shook her head. "No, I was just surprised." she reached for her glass and gulped down some water, her thoughts screaming frantically.

"I... am flattered, Severus." she saw him start to scowl, and a bolt of pure fear ran down her spine. "I would love to be your wife." She corrected quickly.

He leapt from his seat, pulling her into an embrace. "My love, I am so pleased. I will begin preparations immediately. I cannot wait to be able to... is something wrong?"

Lily had been unable to keep her miserable expression from her face as he pulled out of the hug.  _ Oh, drat. Oh, drat. Oh, drat. _ "No, ah, I just..." she seized onto the first thought that popped into her mind. "I miss my father!"

It was an utter lie, but Severus hadn't been able to tell. "Oh, we can invite him to the wedding." he said dismissively.

Lily bit her lip, trying to express sadness, which wasn't very difficult at the moment. "Oh, but I want to see him before then." A plan formed in her mind, a crazy plan that would never work. But it was her only chance.

"Well, I wish to see him before the wedding. Like tradition dictates." she said.

He furrowed his brow. "What tradition?"

"Oh... it must be a peasant tradition. Well, after the engagement, the bride goes to her parents home and stays there for... three days. She—uh... travels alone, so that when she sees her fiance again, her..." she swallowed, forcing herself to keep speaking. "...love is only strengthened.

"You're not a peasant anymore, Lily. You don't have to observe those traditions." She didn't miss the way he spit out the word  _ peasant. _

"Oh, but I want to." she said, looking away from him. "If you truly... no, nevermind. I will not do it." she made her voice breathy and tucked her frown away, leaning perhaps too far into the part. There was no way he'd buy it.

But Severus gazed at her and his eyes softened. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "Of course you can observe this tradition. I could never say no to you, Lily."

She smiled up at him. "I will leave tomorrow morning, but I will think of you the entire time, Severus." she said.

"And I, you." he returned.

Of course, Lily had no intention of going home, and was even less intent on returning in three days, but Severus didn't need to know that. 

Her real plans were quite a bit more sinister, and she'd only given herself a night to complete them. 

It was time to get to work.

First, she waited for him to go to his room, giving him a small wave goodbye. Then, when she was sure he was asleep, she crept up to the second floor, where he'd forbidden her from going.

Whoops.

Wearing several layers of protective material, she searched the rooms until she found the one where he no doubt brewed his poisons. It was downright terrifying in the dim lighting of her candle, and her heart beat fast as she gathered all the liquids she could find, even the ones that looked like water. It was better to be safe than sorry.

As soon as she had gathered all of them, she poured them out the window, watching them disappear into the inky darkness, being extremely careful not to get any on her skin.

As a finishing touch, she left a single Lily on the table, surrounded by the now-empty bottles. Her calling card.

Second, she stopped by the room where he'd bandaged her arm, ruffling through the drawers and stashing some flint and a piece of metal into her pocket. Those would be useful later.

Third, he ducked into the library, picking out a few books she wanted to take with her and a few that she knew were useless. She was sure he wouldn't recognize that they were gone with the vastness of the library, anyway.

Fourth, she slipped outside and sprinkled oil onto the west fields, her familiarity with them becoming useful in the near-darkness of the crescent moon.

Lastly, over two hours after wishing Severus goodnight, Lily finally slipped into her bed, pulling the covers over herself. She did her best to go to sleep, knowing she had a long day ahead of her, but she was shaking with adrenaline and every little noise spooked her.

She spent hours tossing and turning, until finally morning arrived and she hadn't slept a wink.

Oh, well. 

When she left, Severus would have quite the surprise.

~

"Lily, you're already awake?"

"Yes, I wanted to prepare for my trip." she said, holding up her bag, trying not to let on how heavy it was, filled with books.

"Of course. Let's go have breakfast, love." Lily nodded, following him into the dining room, aware of her every movement. Was she acting suspicious? Too happy? Too sad?

Luckily, he didn't seem to notice anything as they ate, and Lily felt a weight slowly lift off her chest. Every second that passed was another second closer to being free of him.

"Goodbye, my sweet Lily flower." he said. Lily suppressed a grimace.

"Goodbye, my love. I will see you in three days." she turned her horse around and started to ride away.

As soon as he turned his back, Lily slid off the horse, tying it to a tree and crept back to the castle, clinging to the outer wall. Soon, she was at the west field, holding the flask of oil that she'd placed there the night before, and a torn up recipe book from the library in her other hand.

She drizzled oil on the pages and set it on the dirt, hoping the oil she'd sprinkled on the field hadn't soaked too far in. She lit the pages with a spark from her flint. The fire burst into being, eating up the page...

And spreading to the Nightshade, disintegrating the flowers.

She laughed, watching the fire spread farther and further. She would have liked to sit there and watch the entire thing be reduced into ashes, but it wouldn't be long before Severus noticed the smoke, so she got up and scurried away, back to her horse.

She rode away, fire in her wake.

~

Her euphoria didn't take long to fade, however, when she realized that she had no idea what to do next. It was bad planning on her part, but she'd been too distracted devising and implementing her plan.

Obviously, she couldn't go back to Severus, especially not after the calling card she'd left.

She'd starve before she went back to her traitorous father, so that wasn't an option.

It looked like all that was left for her to do was strike out on her own. Now... if only she knew how to do that.

She could always look for work as a gardener for some other lord, far away from here. Perhaps even in another kingdom. That sounded like a terrible existence, so she put it at the bottom of her list.

She slowed her horse, using the opportunity to take a long draught from her water and look around. At some point, she'd stopped paying attention to where she was going, just blindly following the path, and she was now  _ deep _ in the woods. She shook the thoughts about her future from her head, trying to get her bearings, but it was hard to see the sun through the thick canopy above her.

She turned, and caught sight of a tattered red riding hood tangled in a bush just off the path. She approached it cautiously, taking it in her hands and examining it. 

It was folded messily, as if the folder had been in a hurry, and it was covered in little tears and stains, none of which had been mended or cleaned. She stepped deeper into the woods, looking around as if the owner would magically appear in front of her.

Seconds later, he did. A boy strode from behind a tree, balancing a knife in his hand, all of his attention on it.

She couldn't help but think he was the polar opposite to Severus. Tan, rich skin where Severus' was pale and sickly. Messy, animated hair where Severus' was limp and greasy. An easy, loose smile where Severus' was thin and forced.

His smile only widened when he saw her. "Oh, you found my hood! I was looking everywhere for that!" He stepped forward, hand outstretched, but then froze suddenly. "I mean... that may or may not be my hood, but you're a stranger, so you don't get to know things about me." he nodded to himself. "Yes, that's it."

Lily blinked, and opened her mouth, then closed it again. "I... what?"

"James, what have you—oh." A tall man with a deep voice appeared, taking in Lily. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, who are you?" James echoed, nodding his chin at her.

"My name is Lily," she explained. "I just ran away from my fiance."


End file.
